Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Paperback)

by Frederick Douglass (Author) "I WAS BORN IN Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland..." (more)
Key Phrases: home plantation, Colonel Lloyd, New Bedford, Master Hugh (more...)

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Product Description
Born into a family of slaves, Frederick Douglass educated himself through sheer determination. His unconquered will to triumph over his circumstances makes his one of America’s best and most unlikely success stories. Douglass’ own account of his journey from slave to one of America’s great statesmen, writers, and orators is as fascinating as it is inspiring.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader contend with Douglass’ nineteenth-century style and vocabulary.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Prestwick House Inc. (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580495761
• ISBN-13: 978-1580495769
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,825 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review by a Student , November 15, 2007

By	Yayu (GA) - See all my reviews

I am a student at Parkview High School. I read the book The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. This is an autobiography by Frederick Douglass who acts as both the narrator and the protagonist. He begins the book with his birth and shows how he progresses from an uneducated, oppressed slave to a worldly and articulate political commentator.
Douglass was born sometime between 1817 and 1818. His mother was Harriet Bailey, and his father was thought to be his master, Captain Anthony. Life on this plantation was not as hard as that of most of the other slaves. Being a child, he served in the household instead of in the fields. At the age of seven, he was given to Captain Anthony's soninlaw's brother, Hugh Auld, who lived in Baltimore. Douglass remarked on how kind his Mistress, Sophia Auld, was to him at first since she had not yet been corrupted by slavery. She actually started teaching him how to read until her husband forbade her, saying that education made slaves unmanageable. Thus two major themes of the book were introduced, ignorance as a tool of slavery and knowledge as a path to freedom. As Douglass continued learning, he became conscious of the evils of slavery and of the existence of the abolitionist movement. He resolved to escape to the North eventually.
After the deaths of Captain Anthony and his remaining heirs, Douglass was taken back to serve Thomas Auld, Captain Anthony's soninlaw. He was a mean man made harsher by his false religious piety. Auld considered Douglass unmanageable, so he rented him for one year to Edward Covey, a man known for "breaking" slaves. Covey managed, in the first six months, to work and whip all the spirit out of Douglass. The turning point came when Douglass resolved to fight back against Covey, after which Covey never touched Douglass again. Douglass is next rented to William Freeland for two years. Though Freeland was a milder, fairer man, his will to escape was nonetheless renewed. He attempted to escape with three of his fellow slaves, but someone betrayed their plans, and he was sent back to Baltimore to learn the trade of ship caulking to keep out of trouble.
Eventually, Douglass received permission from Hugh Auld to hire out his extra time. He saved money bit by bit and eventually made his escape to New York. He refrained from describing the details of his escape in order to protect the safety of future slaves who might attempt the journey. In New York, Douglass feared recapture and changed his name from Bailey to Douglass. Soon after, he married Anna Murray, a free woman he met while in Baltimore. They moved north to Massachusetts, where Douglass became deeply engaged with the abolitionist movement as both a writer and an orator.
The personal account by Douglass really opened my eyes to the horrors of slavery. The book showed the damaging effect of slavery on slaveholders and how it was a perversion of Christianity. I agree with Douglass on not revealing his escape route. I think it wise that he kept the most important part of his narrative a secret so that future runaways can have a better chance at escape. His vivid descriptions of the cruelty of slaveholders were sometimes unbearble. I knew that the masters were usually exceedingly cruel to their slaves, but his narrative made me cringe everytime he was taken to a cruel master. It made me want him to escape so that he will not be subjected to the whippings any longer. He made me feel like that I was there with him, witnessing the horrors of the system. Douglass also presented himself as a reasoned, rational figure. His tone was dry, and he did not exaggerate. He was capable of seeing both sides of an issue, even the issue of slavery. This gave his narrative an objective view that made it very valuable to the abolitionist movement. I thought the narrative was very powerful and touching and should be a good read for everyone.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The life of Frederick Douglass, November 16, 2007

By	D. Wade (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am Alex, a student from Parkview High school. I read the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. It is the true story of a 19th century African-American slave who, against all odds, gained an education and sought his freedom.
Frederick Douglass (1818-95) was the foremost African-American Abolitionist of the Antebellum period. In the Narrative, Douglass acts as both the narrator and the protagonist, and he appears quite different in these two roles. Douglass progresses from uneducated, oppressed slave to a political commentator. Douglass frequently compares the vast difference between his older, more experienced self, and his younger more ignorant self. One instance of this occurs when Douglass demonstrates how impressed he was with his reaction after being brought into the city of Annapolis and giving an idea to the reader of how little of the world he has seen.
He told about his childhood, and what it was like to be a slave, he told about some of the brutal things he witnessed done by his master to older slaves. Frederick Douglass did not know too much of his mother and only recalls seeing her an estimated 10 times in his whole life.
Born a slave-for-life, he nonetheless, devised ingenious methods of learning to read. His father was a white man and it was rumored that it was his first master, Captain Anthony. When he is young he gets moved to the "Great House Farm," this is where Douglass experiences the harshness of slavery, always being cold and hungry.
At the age of about 7 or 8 Douglass is moved to a new master in Baltimore. His new mistress in Baltimore treats him very well and starts to teach him how to read. When his master learns she is doing this, he rebukes and changes her into a different, crueler person. At first she treated Douglass as she supposed a human being ought to be treated, then Mr. Auld told her of the danger of educating a slave. Despite Mr. Auld's efforts, it was too late, Douglass was determined to learn to read. When Douglass becomes good at reading and gaining knowledge it started to bring him misery, he learns about liberty, justice and truth. He soon makes the decision that he will someday attempt to escape to freedom. Douglass also teaches himself to write, for who knows, he may write a book some day!
After the death of his master, Captain Anthony, he eventually ends up living with Captain Thomas Auld. Life is more difficult for Douglass with Captain Auld. Captain Auld believes that Douglass was spoiled in the city life and this makes him even harder on Douglass. Captain Auld decides to send Douglass to Mr. Covey. The first six months here were the darkest days of his life. Here, Douglass is overworked and beaten regularly. Being sick of this cruel daily ritual, Douglass decides he will not be beaten without retaliation. The next time Captain Auld tries to beat him it turns into a two hour fight, and after that Captain Auld didn't beat Douglass again. After working with Captain Auld, Douglass is sent to work with Mr. Freeland, a fair, respectable master in Douglass's opinion.
Douglass soon becomes restless, and he knows he is meant for more than being a slave. It is here that Douglass makes his escape to New York. Douglass struggles with having to leave his friends and loved ones in Baltimore. On September 3, 1838, Douglass succeeds in reaching New York, at last, a free man. The book closes with him marrying Anna Murray, a free black woman.
I think this novel was very well written. It was very impressive how Douglass could write so well for not having a proper education, having had to teach himself everything that he knows. I am having a hard time thinking of anything bad or that did not work with this novel, it was very well written and fun to read. I would recommend this book to anybody who wants a good read. It gives a lot of insight to life as a slave and is not just a boring story of some guy's life, he lived a very interesting life and anyone could learn from his experiences.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frederick Douglass, November 16, 2007

By	Josh B - See all my reviews

My name is Jane, and I am a student at Parkview High school. I have been taught about slavery in many past history classes. As I read this book about Frederick Douglass, my view of slavery was moved tremendously. Douglass explains the horror and cruelty of slavery in every chapter of this book. As a child, he witnessed a brutal whipping that his aunt encountered. From this point on, he realizes what slavery truly is and how it dehumanizes African Americans. Douglass was moved from being a plantation slave to a house slave when he was under the age of 10. He enjoyed the life as a house slave because he was treated more like a human-being. However, this did not last long. The mistress, Mrs. Auld, who taught him how to read and write also turned into a cruel slave owner when Mr. Auld showed her the dangers of educating a slave. Douglass, however, continued to learn how to read and write. By his consistency, Douglass accomplished his dream and became a free man. The topic of slavery should not be lightly comprehended. Although, I am not able to put my feet in Douglass' shoes, he truly is an inspirational writer that not only touched me but the hearts of thousands across the world.